They Don't Play Hockey in Heaven by Ken Baker

They Don't Play Hockey in Heaven by Ken Baker

Ken Baker wanted nothing more than to play ice hockey with the pros-until a brain tumor cut his dreams short while in college. After surgery and several years of rehab, Baker, who in high school was a top prospect for the U.S. Olympic team, put his successful journalism career on hold to attempt the seemingly impossible: a comeback. He moved away from his family to become the third-string goalie for the Bakersfield Condors, an A-level minor-league team in the dusty oil town of Bakersfield, California. At the age of thirty-one, Baker became the oldest rookie in all of pro-hockey, facing 1000-m.p.h. slap shots and long bus rides, hostile fans and cheap motel rooms, body bruises and battle-worn teammates. From his visit to an NHL training camp to his first nerve-rattled minutes as a pro, Baker joins the rookies who still dream of making it to the Show, the veterans long past their prime, and the obsessive fans who keep them going. There's the coach who tests Baker at every turn; the troubled captain who gets arrested for battery on his wife; the former NHL goon who stages fights out of boredom; and the team's other goalies who eye the newcomer warily knowing there's only room for one of them in the net. Baker's pro-hockey adventure ends up teaching him nearly everything he will ever need to know about life.

Baker, Ken: -

Ken Baker is also the author of Old MacDonald Had a Dragon, illustrated by Christopher Santoro, and Brave Little Monster, illustrated by Geoffrey Hayes. Ken grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and now lives in Utah with his family. He enjoys attending writers' workshops and conferences and presenting his books at schools. Learn more: www.kenbakerbooks.com

Steve Gray is the illustrator of There Was an Old Monkey Who Swallowed a Frog and There Was an Old Pirate Who Swallowed a Fish, both written by Jennifer Ward, as well as Farmer McPeepers and His Missing Milk Cows by Katy Duffield. His six-minute animated short film, Santa's Camels, has been shown in more than sixty film festivals around the world. He lives in Redondo Beach, California. Learn more: www.stevegrayillustration.com

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781592281497
ISBN 10	1592281494
Title	They Don't Play Hockey in Heaven
Author	Ken Baker
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Rowman & Littlefield
Year published	2003-09-01
Number of pages	282
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.